


A few perfect days of summer

by Tethys_resort



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Budget, Family Fluff, Finance, Flowers, Fluff and Humor, Food, Friendship, Fundraisers, Gondolin, Multi, Tolkien Crack Week, not sure if this counts as crack?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25900003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tethys_resort/pseuds/Tethys_resort
Summary: Ecthelion needs to learn to explain things better to his children.  Glorfindel thinks the whole thing is funny.
Relationships: Ecthelion of the Fountain & Glorfindel, Idril Celebrindal/Tuor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30





	A few perfect days of summer

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings - family relationships and food 
> 
> As always, if you have questions just ask.

The first sign of trouble was the giggling outside Glorfindel’s office window. He paused to listen more closely and sighed as there was a muffled, “Shhh! He’ll hear us!” The speaker was young and female, and sounded uncharacteristically angry. 

“Elder sister, why can’t we just ask Glorfindel if we can have some flowers?” Male, plaintive and much younger. 

Glorfindel waited patiently and was rewarded with, yes, the happy chuckles of the youngest. At just walking age his older sister was always dragging him off on these adventures.

“Shh!” The irate tone was frankly louder than the other two combined. “If Lord Glorfindel hears us we’ll be in trouble. Eep!”

He stifled a snort: yes, he could hear them. And apparently a body part had just encountered a thorn. 

Glorfindel walked to the second window of the office, it should be a good vantage point. 

Yep, all three of Echthelion’s younger children (the oldest was out on a training rotation with Lord Egalmoth) were trying to crawl under his rose hedge. The Valar only know why. 

He tiptoed back to the first window, eased it farther upward silently and slithered far enough forward to lean right over their heads. “You know, if you wanted some of my flowers you only need ask.”

The screams were deafening. 

***

The first word Ecthelion had of his children’s newest enterprise was the next morning during a joint training with the House of the Golden Flower when Glorfindel said, “Lord Ecthelion, how are the finances of your House?”

“Er, fine?” Ecthelion wasn’t a morning person and stood there blinking and rearranging his thoughts into something that resembled order as his old friend began to giggle. The giggles turned into helpless laughter as Glorfindel watched his expressions. He thought hard about smacking Glorfindel. “What? What do you know that I do not?” Glorfindel laughed harder. 

Before Ecthelion could decide that the appropriate morning wake up was a brawl, Glorfindel wiped his eyes and said, “Thel, have you talked to your children about something finance in the last day or so?”

He snapped back, “No. My daughter was stomping about last night and I didn’t talk to-“ There was a trickle of horror as he thought back over yesterday afternoon and evening. “What did she do?”

Glorfindel stifled further snickers and Ecthelion groaned internally. His daughter is bright, stubborn and determined. Two evenings ago, when she had asked, he had explained that she would need to earn more allowance money to afford an enameled hairclip. It was a matter of simple math and he had walked her through the whole thing with a slate as he explained how to create a simple budget and prioritize her wants and needs. 

She had nodded and gone away silent and thoughtful. 

But she wouldn’t need her allowance money for another hairclip: he had already purchased the one she had cooed over in the marketplace. (It was a gorgeous thing in lustrous shades of blue that matched the House banners. She had been staring at it since last month, quietly trying not to drool or linger where it sat in the window of the shopkeeper who sold hair decorations.)

Her begetting day is only a few days away and he had thought to surprise her. 

He had the sinking suspicion that conversation was somehow related to whatever plan she was enacting this time. Glorfindel was blandly continuing though, “Your three younger came to steal flowers yesterday afternoon. Apparently you are in danger of financial ruin and they have decided to assist by raising funds.”

“What?”

“The three of them are going to open a food stall in the corner of the Market Square on the Tower side.”

“What?” He swallowed, took a breath and tried to moderate his voice back to its usual tone. “What?” 

“Apparently they have their mother’s permission and she applauds their sense of restaurant placement.”

“What?” This time it was loud enough some of their soldiers looked toward them. Glorfindel waved them back into practice. The blond Vanya bastard was enjoying this too much. 

“They wanted flowers to decorate their stall and wear in their hair. But when I caught them they were trying to crawl through the rose hedge.”

“So what did you do?” Ecthelion thought he would have noticed if Glorfindel had scolded them for trespassing and brought them home again. 

Glorfindel smiled beatifically. “I helped them pick flowers. And advised them that sugar coated pansies are especially nice on cookies. And gave them a whole basket of borage to add to glasses of sweet juice."

***

It was the first time he had managed to get out of the Palace in about two days and the perfect time of late afternoon to go for a walk. Turgon stretched as unobtrusively as possible; daily practice really wasn’t enough when the rest of the day was full of meetings dealing with the sudden arrival of the Man and his message from Ulmo. 

He was in the marketplace square when Lord Ecthelion’s daughter said, “Your Majesty, would you like to buy a glass of juice and cookies?”

Turgon turned and stared at Lord Ecthelion’s three younger children and their tiny food stall under the trees. The youngest had apparently wilted and was taking an afternoon nap under a paper parasol. Their formidable mother was sitting in a wicker chair under a tree nearby, working on embroidery and watching their enterprise. As he walked over, she gave him one of her usual sweet and gentle smiles. 

Juice and small cakes. Idly, the King wondered why the daughter of a lord was selling food by the corner of the Tower. But he had more important things to ask. “Youngling, did Lady Idril and a very strange being come by?”

The elfling cocked her head. “Strange? Yes. Lady Idril had an elf with black hair and a not-elf with her. He had blond hair, even on his face.” 

Turgon smiled. Good, Idril seems to like this traveler from Lord Ulmo who was both rapidly making friends with his Lords and adapting to life in the City. Idril has always been a good judge of character. Just like her mother. “The not-elf is a Man. A mortal. Can you tell me what they did?”

The elfling’s eyes narrowed and she looked very much like her father in strategy sessions. “They bought cookies and juice and talked a lot. Will you buy cookies and juice too? It is two silvers for the set.”

For the first time in years, Turgon laughed. Even to himself he sounded rusty. Despite matching her father perfectly in looks, the elfling’s sweetly determined tone was a perfect match for her mother, Heir to a House of Avari merchant lords. “Yes, I’ll have a set. Will you please give me whatever my daughter had?”

The elfling bowed and elbowed her little brother into bowing. Then scurried off to return a few minutes later with a tray. She said, “They sat up there with Naneth and talked about the market. Lady Idril wanted to take them to the north rose gardens next but the black haired elf said they should walk the Wall to the bridge for sunset. The Man gave Lady Idril his last cookie and said he would like to see the gardens.” 

The report was careful and concise, and Turgon noted the elfling as a future military commander. In about 90 years she ought to be old enough to consider.

He inclined his head in thanks and walked just up the slope, to sit and lean on the closest tree, eat his snack and watch the market wind down for the day. The rowdier quarter, with taverns, had started to look busy with elves done with work for the day. 

Turgon wondered how long the elflings intended to continue. Then snickered to himself as Lord Ecthelion and Lord Glorfindel walked into the square, each pushing an empty barrow. With the bouquets of flowers adorning their stall and food, he had suspected Lord Glorfindel was involved. Lord Egalmoth, Lord Ecthelion and Lord Glorfindel could always be trusted to be mixed up in each other’s affairs. 

The elflings spotted their father and abandoned their stall in happy glee to greet him. His booming laughter echoed as all three climbed into his arms chattering about their stall and how much fun their day had been. Lord Glorfindel was abandoned with both barrows as Lord Ecthelion collapsed onto a bench to hear their tales. 

“Ada! I made us 552 silver pieces! Is that enough to pay bills and get me that hair clip too?” The elfling stood like she was on parade in front of her father, chin up and proud.

Lord Ecthelion blinked at his daughter and Lord Glorfindel began to laugh. “How did you raise such a sum with juice and cookies?”

“It was two silvers for two cookies with sugared flowers and a cup of juice.” Lord Ecthelion nodded for her to continue. “And three if you wanted extra flowers.” 

Lord Ecthelion nodded some more. “I do not remember you baking that many cookies last night.”

She shook her head. “We have a few left. But Lord Rog came by and bought some and asked what I was earning money for.” 

Her father gulped, visibly summoned his courage and asked, “And what did you tell him?”

She proclaimed, “That you did not have enough money to purchase me a hair clip!”

Lord Ecthelion paled, but managed to bravely nod. 

“Lord Rog said that was unfortunate. And then he told me he would pay 100 silver pieces for his cookies!” The smile grew. “They are very good cookies! He says the flowers are the perfect touch.”

Lord Ecthelion shot an evil look at Lord Glorfindel sprawled on the grass as the elfling continued. “Lord Rog brought Lord Salgant, Lord Penlod and Lord Maeglin over and they all agreed they were the best cookies ever. They each paid 100 silver pieces too!”

“I see.” Lord Ecthelion clearly did not wish to see. 

Turgon decided it was time to return his empty plate and glass. 

At his approach, two of the three children carefully lined up with their father. The third had fallen asleep again on Lord Ecthelion’s chest, and secure in his position simply wrapped a fist tighter into the braid hanging over Lord Ecthelion’s shoulder. 

Lord Glorfindel hopped up and dusted himself off before wordlessly walking back to the abandoned barrows. Lord Ecthelion’s daughter turned to him and politely asked, “Your Majesty, how were your cookies?”

Turgon drew himself up into his most regal posture, but some imp of mischief prompted his response. “They were excellent, I must laud both your baking and skill at running a business.”

She bowed, “Thank you, your Majesty.”

“In fact, I must present you with a bonus of an additional 100 silver pieces for information given. It would not do for one of the Gondothlim to have financial troubles.”

She grinned as she was handed the coins. “Thank you, your Majesty!” 

She elbowed her brother and rather overwhelmed he muttered, “Thank you,” at his feet.

As he swept past, Lord Ecthelion looked rather horrified and he whispered to the stunned Lord, “Your daughter will be a force to reckon with when she grows up.”

“Thank you, your Majesty. I have noticed….” Lord Ecthelion didn’t sound thanked so much as a little cursed and Turgon stifled his snickers as he went back into the Palace. 

Behind him he could hear Lord Glorfindel laughing. 


End file.
